French police will intercept small boats at sea in an attempt to stop migrants crossing the Channel after mounting pressure from the UK for them to do more to prevent the perilous journeys.
A document seen by French newspaper Le Monde, signed by four prefectures in the north of France, agrees that maritime police will start “planned operations” to intercept the dinghies before migrants board them. The push-backs will begin at sea initially, and then be conducted in the “inland waters” of ports and channels, the paper reported.
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer reportedly sent a letter to French president Emmanuel Macron, putting pressure on him to act on small boat crossings and promising significant funding. The letter, quoted by French media, says: “It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel”.
But charity Care4Calais, which supports migrants, has condemned the move as “dangerous” and said it will put lives at risk.
France has been under pressure from the UK to intercept small boats amid growing public anger over illegal migration, as Labour ramps up its efforts to deter people from making the crossings.
The new agreement will see France’s maritime gendarmerie attempt to intercept so-called “taxi boats” that cruise along the shore waiting for migrants to wade out to them before picking them up to cross the Channel.
The method has grown because the French police have previously been wary of intervening once the dinghy is in the water. Now, police boats will try to stop the small boats, with one vessel dedicated to rescue operations.
Maritime police will be expected to employ a range of measures to try and get the small boats to stop, starting with an order to halt, followed by “immobilising the vessel” and diverting it.
In April this year, then-home secretary Yvette Cooper said that the French had agreed to change their rules and stop small boats in the water. However, the plans reportedly faltered amid political turmoil in the French government.
Then earlier this month, it was revealed that French police would start using large nets to stop small boats leaving French shores to get them to change course or by using them to block their propellers –despite warnings that such tactics could lead to deaths.
Responding to the news that the French would start intercepting boats, a government spokesperson said: “We continue to work closely with our French partners on the shared challenge of illegal migration, and we have already worked to ensure officers in France review their maritime tactics so they can intervene in shallow waters.”
A No 10 spokesperson said: “As you know, we never comment on reported leaks of private correspondence.
“You’ll be aware that the prime minister and President Macron speak regularly on this topic, and we always want to go further on our work with our French partners on tackling illegal migration.”
Steve Smith, CEO at Care4Calais, said: “This is a dangerous moment that will cost more lives. Intercepting boats whilst they are in the water has never been done before because, quite frankly, it puts people at risk.”
He added: “All these new enforcement tactics will do is risk more lives as French police hostility, such as intercepting boats in the water, forces people to take ever dangerous measures in order to seek sanctuary in the UK.”
It comes after new statistics released on Thursday revealed that 51,000 people had arrived in the UK by irregular routes in the year up to September, with 46,000 people making the perilous journey across the Channel.
Small boat arrivals were up 53 per cent on the previous year. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood recently announced sweeping reforms to the asylum system in a bid to deter the rising number of migrants coming to the UK.
Under the plans, refugee status is to become temporary, with sanctuary grants subject to regular review every 30 months.
Sir Keir reportedly cited these radical reforms in his letter to Mr Macron in mid-November. According to Le Monde, Sir Keir warned the French president: “If we fail to resolve this crisis together, those who come after us will try to do it for us. They may choose a very different path, breaking with treaties, conventions, and international cooperation, and pitting nations against each other.
“This policy would lead the European continent down a very worrying path”.
Sir Keir promised the French “additional resources and equipment”, such as drones and aircraft, and “significant funding” for the “purchase of more ships”, the paper reported.
The new funding cycle for securing the Franco-British border is set to conclude in March.
